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The Circle of Cerridwen

The Circle of Cerridwen is the founding coven of the Open Source Alexandrian tradition and is a teaching coven operating near San Francisco, CA, located in the South Bay area.

Coven/Group Membership

If you would like to become affiliated with the Circle of Cerridwen, please see our Coven Membership page. Individuals are also welcome to work within the tradition.

Weekly Magick Night

As of January 1, 2012, the Weekly Magick Night is no longer open to the public.

Open Source Alexandrian Witchcraft

The Circle of Cerridwen practices a recension of the neopagan witchcraft tradition founded by Alex Sanders in the mid-20th century. We differ somewhat from mainstream Alexandrian witchcraft, as summarized by our founding principles:

Our degree structure is based on Sanders' original version as reported in Farrar, What Witches Do, and Farrar & Farrar, A Witches Bible, with some clarifications and modernization.

It is a fundamental founding principle of our line that magickal polarity is unrelated to gender. Our rituals are not gender specific, nor are separate roles ascribed to a High Priest or High Priestess. People of any and all genders, and none, are welcome.

We regard sexual preference as entirely irrelevant to one's ability to practice magick.

We have no secrets. All of our rituals, where practical, are published for the benefit of all, regardless of their initiatory degree or lack thereof. We have no oathbound material.

We honour all gods, and no gods. There are no gods that are specific to our line, nor do we preclude working with gods, spirits, angels or daemons from any other tradition.

We have no founding myths. The material stands on its own merits, and requires no invented justification or falsified lineage.

We practice open-source syncretism. Though we have utmost respect for others' privacy and for the integrity of all systems of magick and religion, we operate on the principle that, if a technique is openly described, it works, and it serves our purpose, we reserve the right to use it and, if we so choose, to teach it.

We do not use a prescribed Book of Shadows. All rituals are our rituals. All gods are our gods.

Gender and Transgender Activism

Beginning with Pantheacon 2011, we are active in interfaith work, with an ultimate aim of bringing our vision of openness and equality to the wider pagan community. Our particular aim was aiding the resolution of the rift between the Dianic tradition and the attendees and organizers of the Pantheacon convention that is due to the practice of many Dianic groups of excluding transgendered women from their rituals.